It's time to make public service civil again

View full sizeThe Oregonian, 2006The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners has improve collaboration and effectiveness since the days when it was characterized by public acrimony and disputes among members, including Lisa Naito, left, and Diane Linn, right.

Summer is almost over and Americans will have a front-row seat for 12 weeks of high-volume, full-contact competition.

No, we're not talking about college football season. The presidential nominating conventions -- the start of the real political season -- are upon us. Considering how unsightly the primary season has been, locally and nationally, fall campaigns have the potential to get ugly and pollute the atmosphere in Congress and council chambers across the country.

It's time for voters to make civility an issue.

As Oregonian reporter Yuxing Zheng noted earlier this week, a number of unsightly incidents have played out at Portland-area public meetings in the past two years, involving elected officials and constituents alike. Personal attacks and shouting matches that once took place behind closed doors have spilled into public view.

Until public service again becomes civil, cities, counties, states and Congress have little chance of solving difficult issues -- whether it be building the Columbia River Crossing, repairing Portland potholes or reducing the federal budget deficit.

At least two local government bodies show that this trend can be reversed when voters elect candidates who commit to getting things done without public rancor.

As recently as 2006, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners set the standard for unsightly political behavior. Nasty public disputes were so common that several women on the five-member board became known as the "mean girls." "Even minor things got stalled," said county spokesman David Austin, who covered the commission as a reporter during those days.

Cogen said the commission took intentional steps -- from retreats to strategic delegation of assignments -- to rebuild trust and cooperation.

Washington County never faced such high levels of public acrimony. But the county commission does provide another example of how civility can improve government performance. Commission chair Andy Duyck, in a recent meeting with The Oregonian editorial board, said collaboration is at the root of much of what the county does.

To some extent, the county has little choice. Sixteen cities have at least a portion of their boundaries in Washington County. Also, public districts such as Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation provide important services. To complete most projects, the county has to cooperate with some of those entities. But Duyck also credited the culture of collaboration with helping to attract employers.

"Because we live and breathe it, it doesn't go unnoticed by industry," Duyck said.

At a time when the Portland area and the rest of the nation face a shortage of both jobs and civility, that's a point worth remembering.